


The Nature of Dreams

by Midnight_Ophelia



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Amnesiac Mollymauk, Awkward Flirting, Background Fjord/Jester - Freeform, Background Relationships, Drama, Emotional Roller Coaster, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Molly has some things to work through, Monster of the Week, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, So does Caleb, Vampires, Warmage Caleb
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-05-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 04:53:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14128506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Midnight_Ophelia/pseuds/Midnight_Ophelia
Summary: Caleb has no idea how to deal with Molly at the best of times; throwing in vivid dreams and vampires is hardly going to simplify anything.Molly just wonders how long it'll take for him to get the hint.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> It was only a matter of time before I both wrote a multichapter fic for this ship and included vampires somewhere. This just happens to have both.
> 
> Shoutout to my fellow Critters for having been so supportive since I started writing for this fandom. You guys are my motivation to write despite all of my health issues that keep trying to get in my way.

They’ve been on the road for over a month now since leaving Zadash going from town to town taking the random monster hunting job here and a mercenary job there. It's good coin overall, despite their growing reputation that has Caleb growing evermore nervous. Their little group grows closer as they shield each other in battle and share each other's company in room and during travel.

With that in mind it shouldn't have been a surprise when the dreams begin.

They only ever involve Mollymauk and are initially innocent enough, but grow far more _vivid_ over time in ways that have Caleb waking up drenched in sweat and achingly hard beneath his blanket. He can't rid himself of the memories no matter how hard he tries and they have a nasty habit of resurfacing when the object of those dreams is in the same room as him.

If he closes his eyes he can picture the Molly of his dreams kissing him, touching him, making breathy little sounds and uttering praises that causes heat to pool between his legs.

And if he didn't know better, Caleb would suspect that Molly is aware of them when they stop by a stream to camp for the evening and he strips down to his trousers despite the cold early winter air, revealing a colorful expanse of tattooed and scarred lavender skin for Caleb to view freely, lavender skin that is soon wet as he splashes himself with the brisk water.

Caleb’s gaze slides along Molly’s back, following the shiver that runs down it and to the tip of his tail.

“Caleb, are you feeling okay?” Nott asks when he bites back a strangled groan.

“Ja,” he startles and yanks his eyes away from Molly’s lithe form, burying his head in a hand while the other quickly pulls his coat over his lap to hide the telltale bulge. “Just tender from the cart ride is all.”

“It was a very bumpy ride,” Nott agrees, none the wiser of her companion’s suffering.

“Can I suggest in the next town we visit that we buy pillows?” Molly’s voice rings out as he strides up to join them, using a threadbare rag to dry his chest. “I’m pretty sure that I've bruised my tailbone sitting on those benches.”

His tail in question swishes from side to side behind him, not unlike a cat’s.

“I don't see why not,” Fjord chimes in as he walks up to their firepit for the night with an armful of sticks, Beau right behind him with her own bunch. “Seems to me our coin situation should allow for a couple little luxuries.”

“Thank the Gods,” Molly grins. He sits down beside Caleb, shoulder just brushing against his, and folds his legs. “I for one am willing to splurge on that.”

“How long until we get to a town?” Jester asks , pulling herself away from the same romance novel that she’d picked up at the Chastity’s Nook and has read at least a dozen times since. She rolls onto her stomach and stares up at Fjord eagerly. “I ran out of donuts.”

“There should be a small one about another half a day's ride from here. I think,” Beau answers instead, tossing down her firewood and going to her things. She pulls out the map and studies it closely. “Yep. So small it doesn't even have a name.”

“We could go there and stay the night tomorrow. Maybe clean up a little?” Suggests Molly. He stretches his arms above his head and arches his back with a series of pops. “I’d like a bath if there's one there.”

Caleb stands up so quickly he nearly loses his balance. He needs to get away from Molly’s presence. Now. “I will be right back.”

As soon as he’s far enough away, Caleb leans against a tree and exhales shakily. What is he supposed to do about this...problem? It isn't as if he can get away from Molly when traveling in the group. He can't just tell him, “I would appreciate if you would sit less close. I've been having dreams of sleeping with you.”

If he did, he’d never live it down. No doubt Molly would be happy to constantly remind him of his words. He’d rather throw himself off the tallest spire in Zadash than to deal with that.

Caleb bows his head, eyes closed, and attempts to get his body to calm down without resorting to taking things into hand as he would normally do when he'd traveled alone. He’s still close enough to camp that someone could easily come across him during the act even if it were hurried.

That reasoning doesn't stop him from rubbing at himself through his trousers to take a bit of the edge off. As so long as he's still fully dressed it can't hurt…

Caleb quietly swears in Zemnian and presses against his hand for more friction.

“Would you like some help with that?”

Caleb jumps away from the tree, immediately halting his actions, when Molly comes sauntering in his direction with a wide grin, back in his shirt at least. Red eyes look him up and down, pausing at the telltale tenting, before going to his face.

Caleb’s heart is thundering in his chest. “I do not know what you're talking about,” he stutters, his accent strong with his nerves.

Molly snorts and stops a foot away from him. “Sure you don't. You don't think you're the only one who's disappeared for a little alone time, do ya? Although you're the first to do it in broad daylight. Very bold of you.”

“Well, I…”

Molly steps closer and Caleb steps back against the tree again, eyes wide and staring at his mouth.

“No need to be embarrassed about it. It's perfectly natural,” he continues. He stops where he is, leaving some scant space between their bodies. It's less close than the last time Molly had been in his space and his body language is deliberately non-threatening, relaxed, his warm breath clouding the air.

“Maybe I was,” Caleb admits, his eyes drifting from Molly’s mouth to his neck. “It has been a very tense month.”

“That it has.” One of Molly’s dexterous hands reach up to his throat to absently fiddle with the Periapt of Wound Closure. “Gods know that I've had to have some time alone myself.”

Caleb’s mind helpfully pulls up the dream images of that hand stroking him and he shakes his head to send it dissipating, face warm in the cold air and trousers becoming uncomfortably tight again.

Everything about Molly is overwhelming and alluring, which he knows is the point. He purposely stands out to see how the people around him react and acts accordingly. Caleb’s feelings regarding Molly are complicated to decipher, no dislike mind you and his attraction to him became clear to himself in the sewers, but what more is hard to say. Caleb doesn’t trust easily and Molly likes to keep his secrets.

“Why are you telling me this?” Caleb asks, hesitant to know the answer to that particular question.

Moly tilts his head and he drops the chain from his fingers. “Love, I’ve seen the way you’ve looked at me. You're not as subtle as you may think you are. Not that I'm complaining. You're a very pretty and intelligent man, Caleb, and I find your attention flattering.”

Caleb damns his own obviousness.

“Oh, I, uh, see,” he mutters lamely and wishes that the ground would suddenly swallow him up. He’s never been good at dealing with this sort of thing and being on his own for years and then with Nott has done him no help when it comes to handling vaguely nebulous sexual encounters.

It doesn't help that it's with Mollymauk Tealeaf, a individual whose very existence oozes sex appeal.

“To be fair, I’ve been looking at you, too. Like I said, you're a very pretty man.” Molly steps a bit closer with the jingling of jewelry and the wafting scent of rosewater and incense that always clings to him. “I understand that you don't trust me, which is fair, I'm not asking for you to. I'm just putting an offer on the table to ease tensions should you like. Mutual benefits and all that.”

Caleb feels his mouth gape open and his heart rate quicken, if it's even possible for it to do so, as he regards Molly’s words. He knows that he’s not dreaming and that this is actually happening, but it's so perplexing, like a plot of one of the romance novels he’s read.

A part of him, the part that is aching, wants to accept. There's sense in it. There is sexual attraction, one that is evidently shared, that could be used as a means of blowing off steam and fulfilling one of his nightly fantasies. The other part, however, is a ball of anxiety that can only see any entanglement as a liability. He’s not here to grow attached to anyone, he’s here for money and protection, and sleeping with one of them is a risk to that.

Caleb eyes Molly for a moment before he mutters, “I have to go.”

He can feel Molly’s stare as he darts back to camp.

* * *

 Molly doesn't approach him again after that and keeps a respectable distance. He doesn't stare and anything he says directly to him is friendly with no hint of suggestion. It's as if their encounter had never happened at all.

Caleb knows that he should feel relief, but there's the niggling feeling of disappointment eating away at him that he can't shake off for all that he tries to. It's still there when the group reaches the little unnamed village and make arrangements at the inn that is as small as the village itself.

“I wanna room with Fjord,” Jester decides as Molly speaks with the innkeeper.

“I think I'll stay with Beau,” Nott adds. She looks up at Caleb nervously. “If you're okay with that?”

He gives her a little nod as the sinking feeling that he’s being conspired against sets in to join his previous disappointment. Yasha is off doing good for her god, Jester’s budding relationship with Fjord means she wants to board with him, and Nott rooming with Beau means that the only person left to stay with Caleb is Molly.

That is...remarkably inconvenient.

He goes up to the room slowly and swears when he sees how small it is with barely a foot between the two narrow beds. He should have expected this. Small in in a small village equals small rooms.

Caleb sits on the bed on the left side and stares gloomily at the rough-hewn floors until he hears soft leather boots enter the room with him.

“We might have a job,” Molly says as he drops his bag on the empty bed. “Apparently people have been either going missing or being found dead on their property, completely drained of blood. I don't know about you, but to me that sounds like vampires.”

Caleb looks up as Molly’s multi-colored chest comes into his vision. “It does.” He clears his throat. “When are we going?”

Molly sighs and takes off his coat with a whisper of silk, draping it over the end of his bed. “If they are vampires then daytime is the ideal time.”

“Great.” Caleb flops back on his lumpy mattress and stares up at the pocked ceiling. There's a draft coming through the window and he can feel it against his face.

“I suppose that we’ll find out tomorrow.” There’s a rustling and Molly joins him on his bed, holding the Periapt out towards him expectedly. “Here, take it. You’ll need it more than I will. Chances are they’ll go after the full-blooded human wizard first.”

“What about you?”

Molly gives him a small lopsided smile. “Eh, I’ve lived this long without it. I’ll be fine for a day.”

Caleb reaches out and takes it, his fingers brushing out against Molly’s and sending a jolt through his arm that almost makes him drop the necklace.

It's going to be an incredibly long night. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He's not _pining_ , Molly tells himself.

It's a long night for Molly as much as it is for Caleb. Sleep eludes him as he stares up at the ceiling before turning over onto his side to see where his roommate is softly snoring in a nest of blanket, his back to Molly. The fact that Caleb snores would have been a source of amusement if it isn't for Molly’s strangely melancholic mood. 

The faint moonlight coming through the thin curtains falls over Caleb’s form and Molly’s lips part in a sigh as he sits up, giving up on sleep for the time being. 

The whole situation is utterly ridiculous. He’s not one to pine. If there's someone he fancies and they have no interest he gives up. It's not that big a deal and he has no hard feelings. He’s an acquired taste, he knows.  He’s a lanky purple tiefling covered in tattoos, piercings, and scars of his own making with a preference for flamboyant clothing; if he were the sort to be offended he would not last long in this world. 

Caleb is entirely different. At first he was just a dirty but attractive man that Molly occasionally enjoyed looking at and gently teasing, maybe one he could persuade into a little bit of fun if he wasn't such a skittish thing. Molly had seen how vulnerable Caleb was in the mines and he’d taken to trying to protect him, then he’d gone and went catatonic. 

Oh, Caleb can be as big an asshole as the rest of them. He’s selfish and has a willingness to use others as a safety net. Despite his thin frame and quietness, there's no mistaking the iron will beneath the surface that occasionally shows itself. Molly had witnessed that in Zadash. 

It's just that Molly’s an empathetic and tactile person by nature. Seeing anyone in a state only makes him want to comfort and help them to the best of his ability. That's just who he is and he has no urge to change that. That moment in the mines had been him acting on it.

At some unknown point, maybe just after Zadash or maybe during, it had shifted to something more complicated. What they all went through has a tendency to shove people closer. It's no longer as simple as getting Caleb into bed for the fun of it, there's too many emotions there now. 

Oh, Molly still has no problem making bold statements and watching Caleb become flustered. When he'd watched him watching him, he couldn't help but play it up, and then Caleb had ran off, which of course prompted Molly to follow. Seeing Caleb trying to get off in broad daylight because of him had been immensely flattering and was enough to cue him in on the mutual attraction. 

Of course then Caleb had to run off after Molly had stopped being subtle. He’d backed off. If Caleb has no desire to become involved, then fair enough. Molly can take a hint.

Except here he is, sitting awake at gods only know what hour,  _ pining.  _

He holds his breath as Caleb makes a sound and rolls over to face him. There's a crease between his brows, a slackness to his mouth, and tension in his shoulders. He mutters something in breathy Zemnian that Molly can't immediately translate before blue eyes open to blearily look at him. 

“You alright? Looked like you were having a hell of a dream,” Molly says as Caleb sits up, hair a mess around his pale and freckled face. 

“Did I wake you?” Caleb asks hoarsely. He shakes his head to clear the sleep. 

“I was already awake. Can't sleep.” He’s not about to say why. 

“Oh.” He pauses for a moment. “It wasn't a bad dream.”

Molly raises an eyebrow and glances down. “Really?” There’s a recognizable lift to the blanket covering Caleb. “A good dream, then?”

Caleb’s face flushes in the glow of the moonlight. He crosses his arms and pointedly looks at his lap, avoiding Molly’s gaze. He looks so much smaller without the bulky coat adding to his size, that thinness that comes from too many infrequent meals. Molly wonders how much he would protest if he bought him food more often to help fill him out a bit. It would probably just scare him off. 

“It...was,” Caleb finally answers, shifting a bit. 

“Oh, well, then. Much better than a bad dream.” Molly moves himself to lean his back against the wall and faces Caleb. “Would you be willing to tell me about it?”

Caleb stiffens. “I would rather not,” he says slowly.

“Aw, you're no fun. Give me a hint at least?”

“No.” 

“Does it involve Fjord?” Molly leans forward.  “Anyone from our group? Me?”

Caleb’s flush darkens. 

Bingo. “Ooh, it does! Tell me all about me. Was I good?”

It's faint, but Caleb snorts and he cuts it off short. “Is that your concern?” 

Molly shrugs and grins wide even though Caleb isn't looking towards him. “I gladly accept constructive criticism.”

“Mollymauk…”

“What? It’s an honest question. Don't want to disappoint anyone, especially yo-” He stops himself. Ah, blast. His mouth got away from him. An uncharacteristic ball of anxiety forms in his chest and he focuses on Caleb’s reaction. 

Caleb’s head swivels to finally face him. His expression is conflicted as far as Molly can tell; nervousness, curiosity, and something else beneath those that he’s intimately familiar with. Caleb’s fingers clutch and release his blanket as his chest rises and falls with deep breaths that Molly can see even in the low light. 

“You don't disappoint me, Molly,” he assures in a voice so quiet it's barely audible. His eyes briefly flick up to meet his. 

Molly finds himself swallowing thickly. That is, as far as he knows, the first time Caleb has ever used the diminutive of his name and it sends a warmth in him that chases away the anxiety. His grin fades into a baffled smile. “That's a new feeling. I don't think that I've ever been at a loss of words before,” he jokes weakly.

Caleb laughs, genuinely, and it's a sweet, airy sound. “There is a first time for everything, I suppose.”

He wants to kiss him full on his mirthful mouth, but Molly is pretty damn certain that that would be crossing a line and he doesn't think he can handle scaring him away now. That would be terrible. He settles instead on being the first to break the eye contact and dips his head down. 

“I'm surprised that I don't. Disappoint, that is. I was under the assumption that you didn't trust me.” Molly doesn't make trusting him an easy task, he's aware, he’s a liar with at least fifty kinds of bullshit ready to be said at any given moment, but he  _ wants  _ Caleb to trust him. 

Caleb slips out of his bed and comes the few feet to stand in front of him, clad in his trousers and tunic. “You are not wrong. I don't trust you, not yet, but I don't trust anyone entirely. I would be a fool to.”

“I see.” 

Unexpectedly, because it's that sort of night, Caleb reaches out a long, slender-fingered hand and traces it over the various tattoos inked into Molly’s skin, like an subconscious action. “I have been through too much, seen too much, to trust blindly. But I could trust you. Eventually.”

Molly shivers at the feather light touch and leans into it. “That's good. I can settle for eventually.”

Whether it's the odd stirring in the air or the lateness of the night that makes him bold, Molly can't say. Caleb’s fingers move to his neck and then to his mouth, sweeping his thumb across his bottom lip before he pulls back. 

“We should get some sleep, Mollymauk.”

Molly doesn't feel any more like sleeping now then he did before Caleb had to send his heart fluttering in his chest like some trapped creature. 

Molly goes to open his mouth to try and say something to help shake the feelings from his skull, but the moment he does sudden screams and shouts from outside cut it off.

“What?” Caleb says, unaware of Molly’s stopped words. He briskly shoves the curtains aside and squints out into the dark landscape below them.

“Caleb? What is it?” Molly slides off the bed in his leggings to join Caleb at the window. 

It takes a moment to see it, but he can make out multiple figures moving around the village square, swords and bows in hand. He steps back and quickly goes for his swords wrapped in his jacket. 

There's a series of hard knocks at their door and it swings open to reveal Fjord first and then the rest of the Nein behind him. 

“There's been an attack,” Fjord says solemnly, dressed in his armor and his falchion already in hand. “How quickly can you be ready?” 

Molly pulls his shirt on over his scarred torso then goes about shoving his feet into his boots. “Give me a second.” 

Caleb’s already got his coat and books on, and tugs his hand through his hair. “I am ready.”

Molly forgoes his doublet and shrugs on his overcoat. He deftly twirls his scimitars in his hands “Good enough. Let's go take care of this.” 

* * *

It becomes abundantly obvious that they might be in over their heads when the amount of people attacking the village is large enough to be considered a crowd. They're a motley lot, mostly in the condition of bandits that The Mighty Nein have fought before, and that in itself isn't that much of a problem.

The problem is that they don't seem to be swayed by demands to stop or intimidated by Molly’s Vicious Mockery. They fight like they have nothing to lose, taking hits from Fjord’s falchion and Beau’s fists without a care for their own safety. 

As far as Molly can tell, as he swings in and swipes a blade across one's arm, they're human. The only thing supernatural about them is their drive. The way they fight is sloppy but effective, managing to shoot Fjord in the shoulder with a bolt even as he slams another attacker down with an Eldritch Blast directly to the face. 

Molly keeps an eye on Caleb the entire time, observing him blasting a bandit in the chest with ice with a determined expression. Even knowing that Caleb has the Periapt on him, Molly still can't help but worry for his safety. It doesn't take much to bring Caleb down. 

“Molly!” Jester shouts over the noise as she bashes a man over the head with a comically oversized lollipop. “Watch out!”

The bite of a blade cuts through his side and brings his attention back to the bandit he’s currently fighting. Molly growls in pain and frustration. He’s getting too distracted and he’s taking too many risks. He needs to focus.

Molly closes his eyes for a second, taking a deep breath and exhaling. When he opens them, he slides one of his scimitars through the wound already on his side, and awakens the power that lays in his blood before striking out like a viper towards the man that had caused it.

It jams through the bandit’s chest with a wet squelch, hitting the heart, and comes through the other side in a ghastly spray of red that farther stains the grass. The man gasps out and falls limp the moment Molly forcefully yanks the scimitar out. He gives the body an angry kick, steps over it, and runs in Caleb’s direction when he spots another enemy too near him while their companions are busy dispatching enemies of their own. 

Molly swings up and blocks the wicked sword that’s inches from hitting home, kicking them in the stomach to send them stumbling. 

“Thank-you,” Caleb breathes, face speckled with dark blood. 

Molly nods and turns back, shielding Caleb and thrusting a blade towards the masked individual that had righted themselves. “How are you holding up?”

“I am low on useful spells,” answers Caleb near Molly’s right side. He casts a ball of flame around his shoulder then ducks back.

“Damn,” Molly mutters. The enemy group is slowly thinning, but not quick enough and his allies are looking worse for wear. Too bad Yasha isn't here to speed it up. “This is bloody ridiculous.”

“What do these people even want? None are vampires as far as I can see.”

That's a good point. “I don't know. I say we ask.” Molly squints at his combatant, pointing with a sword. “Oi, who do you work for?”

Unsurprisingly, there's no answer. Molly rolls his eyes. Well, it was worth a shot. He slashes and brings them down in a huff. 

“Are you okay?” Caleb asks once Molly turns back. “That wound looks nasty.”

“It stings, but it'll heal.”

It takes longer than anyone would like, but the Nein do manage to chase off the survivors after that, and it is with some good luck that the one that Molly had fought against regains consciousness with a bit of work. 

He watches as Fjord crouches down and pulls off the mask to reveal a young woman’s scarred face, her mouth twisted into a snarl. “And who might you be?”

“The Queen will come for you all,” she hisses in a croaking voice, dark eyes narrowed. “It's only a matter of time.” 

“And who is the Queen, exactly? The Raven Queen?”

“No, but you’ll see soon enough. This little village is only the start of the sacrifices.” She looks towards Molly and her snarl contorts into a smile. “You especially.”

“She can try, I'm sure,” Molly says nonchalantly. He holds his hand over the gash on his side. The damn thing hurts a lot worse without the adrenaline rushing through his veins. “She wouldn't be the first.”

“You really don't understand, do you? She sees through my eyes and she recognizes your face, Mollymauk Tealeaf.” 

As soon as the words are said, Molly’s vision darkens and his legs give out. The last thing he hears is Caleb calling out his name.   
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “That's not the whole truth.” Caleb touches the scar on Molly’s side and feels a shudder. “Please, if you want me to trust you, you have to be truthful with me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo boy, how about that episode last night? 
> 
> I meant to have this out yesterday but I didn't have internet until Critical Role started and by the time it ended I was way too tired to post. And it was almost 2:30 in the morning. 
> 
> You may have noticed too that this fic is no longer listed as going to be four chapters. I realized that there was no way in hell to wrap up the plot in one more chapter. I blame these chatty characters.
> 
> Anyways, once again, thank-you to everyone that has commented. You guys are amazing and I might have crief a little reading all of them~

In horror, he watches as Molly collapses to the ground.

It happens so quickly that by the time his name passes Caleb’s lips it's already happened. He should have seen it coming. The gash on Molly’s side had looked like a deep, angry thing from what he had been able to see, and the blood that covered him was an alarmingly large amount. What blood he still has is now slowly pooling beneath him, looking nearly black in the light of the moons.

Caleb stares wide eyed as Jester rushes over to Molly and frantically begins to attempt at stabilizing, lifting his shirt away and grimacing at the sight. She reaches into her bag and pulls out supplies before looking up at Caleb.

“Do you have a healing potion?” she asks in a voice that is frightened but desperately trying to remain calm and professional. “I'm out of healing spells.”

Caleb nods mechanically and goes to. He reaches into a pocket and pulls out the small vial, holding it out to her. “Here.”

Jester shakes her head. “I need to keep pressure on the wound. Can you give it to him?”

“ _Ja_ .” Caleb sits down beside Molly’s still form and pops the stopper out of the vial. It’ll be difficult to get it down his throat with him laying on his uninjured side, but moving him isn't a good idea. He carefully presses the opening to Molly’s mouth. “Come on, _Schätzchen_ , you have to drink this.”

Caleb manages to get most of the potion down Molly’s throat and gently strokes his hair, softly murmuring Zemnian words of encouragement. He feels Nott’s small hand press on his shoulder as he sits there and can see the others gathering around them, waiting for any sign that Molly’s still with them.

Eventually Jester tells them that he’s stable and can be moved back into the inn. He’ll need rest after all the blood he’s lost, but he should survive.

Caleb sighs in relief, looking down at Molly’s still pale face, and touches the Periapt. He yanks it off his own neck and puts it around its rightful owner’. He shouldn't have gave it to him in the first place. Well, Caleb can yell at him once he makes a full recovery. There's a fair bit he has to say.

Beau scoops Molly into her arms, muttering that it's a good thing that he's so light, and carries him inside. Caleb follows closely behind. He should stay with the others and try and get more information on the Queen from the survivor, but he needs sleep. Interrogation is the last thing on his mind right now.  

He helps Beau get the stained and ruined shirt off Molly and hardly notices when she leaves to go back to the others. He takes Molly’s hand into his and prays to whatever God is listening that he'll be alright, that he’ll suffer no ill-effects from nearly being bisected.

It appears that someone is when a soft gasp leaves Molly.

“Caleb…” He blinks up at him, disoriented. “What…?”

“It's okay, _Schätzchen._ You're back in our room.” Caleb squeezes Molly’s hand comfortingly and forces himself to smile even as his heart aches at how vulnerable Molly appears. “Don't try to move.”

“Damn sword,” Molly utters, using the hand not currently being held to rub at his side. “What happened? I feel terrible.”

“You passed out. Why didn't you tell Jester you were hurt that badly? She could have healed you sooner.”

Molly relaxes against the mattress with a pinched expression. “I didn't realize it _was_ that bad. I didn't want Jester to waste a healing spell on me when someone else needed it more than I did.”

“You are not a waste,” Caleb retorts, sharper than intended. He lifts Molly’s hand to his mouth and kisses the knuckles as tenderly as he can to make up for it. “The group cannot lose you. _I_ cannot lose you. Do not take so many unnecessary risks, Mollymauk. Do you understand?”

Molly nods wordlessly.

* * *

Molly’s docile state lasts for all of a day before Caleb wants to manacle him to the bed to get him to stay there. The wound is nothing more than another scar now, although larger and darker than the others, but Caleb would rather no chances be taken.

“I need out of this fucking bed,” Molly complains, arms crossed and looking like he’s going to bolt at any moment. “It's healed. I don't see why I need to stay here.”

Caleb shoots him a frown. “You almost died. You can rest for more than one day.”

“Just admit that you like seeing me at your mercy, trapped in a bed.” Molly takes another route to getting what he wants and it very nearly works. “Oh, look, you're blushing.”

The concept of Molly pinned beneath him, writhing in pleasure, is a decidedly enjoyable one, but Caleb isn't going to give into it that easily. “Even if that is the case, I will not sleep with you a day after you've been hurt.”

“But you do want to sleep with me. Those dreams must have given you some good ideas.”

Caleb groans. Molly is proving once again to be an expert in getting beneath his skin. “If I say yes, will you stay in bed?”

“Only if you join me.” Molly waggles his eyebrows and pats at a spot beside him. “There's enough space.”

So much for not giving in that easily. Caleb takes off his boots and coat then slides into the bed, beneath the blanket. Between it and the living fire pit that is a tiefling, he’s sweating within minutes.

“Who is the Queen?” he asks when the question begins to rattle around in his brain. “That woman spoke as if she knows you.”

“Your answer is as good as mine. I have no idea who she is or why she would know me, if she even does.” Molly curls up against Caleb like an overgrown cat and his tail wraps loosely around his leg. “Just the words of a crazy person, I think.”

“That's not the whole truth.” Caleb touches the scar on Molly’s side and feels a shudder. “Please, if you want me to trust you, you have to be truthful with me.”

There's a moment of silence before Molly sighs tiredly and relaxes. “I wouldn't know if I did know her. The years before I was with the circus are pretty empty. There's so little that I can recall. Sometimes I get a flash of an image and information, and that's it. The circus found me with those swords, no memories, and completely silent. I don't even think that Mollymauk Tealeaf is my actual name.”

“I'm sorry, Mollymauk.”

“I guess I should have told you all sooner, but it was never important. Who I was before doesn't matter. This is who I am now.” Molly curls up tighter.

Caleb shifts and gazes down at him. The ache from before is there again, along with worry. What connection is there between Molly and this Queen, and does it mean for the man currently fetal beside him? Is there anything that Caleb can even do to help.

There is one thing, he supposes.

“You know,” he begins and sees Molly’s eyes open to meet his curiously, “once upon a time, a long time ago, I was a member of the military, as a mage of their ranks. I did a great number of terrible things in the Empire’s name before I realized that I would not, could not, do it any longer. I would have rathered I run and sleep on the streets than to do any of that. And I did.”

Molly sits up and stares at Caleb incredulously. “Why are you telling me this?”

“I tell you because whatever you did in your past, if it should ever come to light, will not change who you are now, as you just said yourself. You're a good person, Molly, better than I’ll ever be. Bit of a shit, but aren't we all.”

Molly swallows and tilts his head with a wistful smile. “I think that I want to kiss you.”

“I would not object to that.”

Molly leans down and brushes his lips against Caleb’s, quick and light to start. That's still enough to have him clutching at Molly’s shoulders. It's been a long time since Caleb’s had any romantic affection and he’d forgotten how it can feel, how good it is.

It would be a wonderous thing to spend the rest of his life like this, not having to deal with the dangers of the outside world, perfectly content. He knows that it's far, far too soon for it to be love, but right now it feels like it.

Caleb returns the kiss a bit sloppily, accidentally hitting his teeth against Molly’s and inciting a helpless giggle that reminds him of being a teenager again.

“Sorry,” he says, pulling away for a moment to let the laughter subside.

Molly twines his tail over Caleb’s thigh and grins mischievously. “You should laugh more often, love. It looks good on you.”

He blushes and looks down, studying Molly’s sinewy tail. There's two hoops pierced through the edge of the arrowhead shaped end. He touches them gingerly and feels Molly tense.

“Do they hurt?”

“No, there’s no pain,” Molly assures him. He takes Caleb’s hand on his tail and brings it up to one of the thin bars that's through his nipples. “They can actually enhance pleasure.”

Caleb studies it and moves it carefully, twisting it. “Why did you have all of this done? Not that it bothers me.”

Molly’s breathing hitches. “I figured that since people were already staring at me because of my demonic heritage, I might as well really give them something to look at. If they have problem with me that's for them to deal with.”

“How are you so confident?” Caleb lets go of the piercing and looks up to his face. How is it possible for someone to be this beautiful, so uniquely themselves?

“It was either crumble in on myself under the weight of the judgment of random strangers, or embrace it. I wasn't always so certain, mind you. I spent my first months at the circus scared and angry, plagued by nightmares of things that I couldn't remember.” Molly playfully kisses the tip of Caleb’s nose. “And here I am, ruining the mood. Maybe I should get more sleep.”

Caleb doesn’t let himself be disappointed and goes to slip out of the bed only for Molly’s hand to grab his wrist. “What's wrong?”

“Would you mind staying with me? We don't have to do anything, just lay here.”

Caleb nods and lays down, leaving enough space for Molly beside him. It's not a large bed even with as thin as the two of them are. Molly snuggles up against him again, resting his head on Caleb’s chest and absently playing with a stray thread on his tunic.

 _This is...different,_ he thinks. A good different, potentially.

* * *

He doesn't know what time it is when he feels Molly tossing and turning beside him, emitting sounds that have the hairs rising on the back of Caleb’s neck. A glance at the window, the curtains pushed back, shows that the sun has already set and the moons are high in the sky.

“Molly,” Caleb whispers worriedly. He rolls over to face him and the frightened look on Molly’s sleeping face breaks his heart. “ _Schätzchen,_ please, wake up.”

Molly wakes with a gasp, eyes wide and confused before he notices Caleb is there with him. “Caleb,” he breathes, his name sounding like a prayer from his lips. “I know who she is.”

“She who?” He has a feeling that he isn't going to like the answer. “Molly?”

He takes a shuddering breath and grabs at Caleb’s shirt as the fear slowly drains from his face, leaving understanding in its place. “The Queen.”

“What do you mean? How do you know?”

Molly doesn't say anything else, looking past Caleb like he is staring at a ghost.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uh, we were right? Possibly?


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Molly knows that he’s an excellent liar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry that this update took so long, but I started watching Vox Machina (on ep. 90 as of writing this) and it sorta held me hostage. 
> 
> At any rate, you may have noticed that I added canon divergence to the tags. I didn't expect Molly's backstory to happen so soon in canon, and while I was right on a few things, I was wrong on the finer details. Pitfalls for writing an for an ongoing series, I suppose. I do plan on implementing them in some ways into this, with my own twists of course.
> 
> Anyways, as usual I appreciate every single comment you guys leave. Someday I'll get better at replying to them. I hope this chapter makes up for the long wait.

They’re treating him like glass and as annoying as that is Molly can't seem to form the words to tell them to stop. Only Caleb seems to understand that something is bothering him, having been there during the nightmare. He hovers around him with nervous energy, but doesn't touch him for more than a few seconds at a time. 

That is the exact opposite of what Molly wants. What he wants is for Caleb to hold onto him and never let go. He is only trying to give him space, but it’s not helping all that much, which is not what the intention is, he's sure. 

“What can you tell us, if you can?” Fjord asks in a mindful tone. “I know that speaking is difficult right now.”

They’re all crammed into his and Caleb’s room and it's making him claustrophobic. This small of space was not meant for this many people. Molly sighs from where he sits on his bed, Caleb beside him, Frumpkin purring loudly on his lap. He pets him slowly, trying to relax and speak.

“It's...hard to explain,” Molly begins, his voice rasping and sounding strange to his own ears. “The Queen. She’s an old vampire. Been around for hundreds of years and has a habit of gathering worshipers, most of them sacrificed to appease her.”

He can see her in his mind’s eye. A tall woman with red hair and eyes like burning embers, clad in black and a crown of spikes. 

“And how do you know her?” 

“From before. She was the last creature that I hunted down before I woke up with no memories. I think.” He’d been forced to tell the rest of the group of that situation when they’d found out about his nightmare, including a bit that he’d withheld from Caleb that involved waking up in a shallow grave. “It's hard to recall it. Her. I tried to kill her on my own. I presume that it failed spectacularly.”

Caleb leans against him and reaches over to pet Frumpkin, his fingers touching Molly’s for a brief moment, long enough to slow his thumping heart. He sighs and closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them he finds the eyes of the rest of his party staring at him with varying levels of interest. He flinches under it. 

“Do you know where we might be able to find her?” 

“I don't...know? Our prisoner would know more than I would.” Molly stares down at Frumpkin and weakly shrugs. “I don't remember coming here.”

“So you don't remember anything else about your past?” Nott’s the one to speak this time. 

“Not really.” Gods, if only he could disappear. They’re trying to be supportive, but it's not exactly working. Not for the first time, he wishes Yasha was here. She understood how to handle him in a state. “Little things come up from time to time, but never with much detail. And that's fine. I couldn't care less whoever I was before.”

He can tell that Nott wants to ask more, but Fjord, bless his humble little heart, breaks in before she can. “Thank-you, Molly. We’ll leave you alone, now.”

They clamor out, leaving just himself and Caleb with Frumpkin. Molly relaxes against him. 

“Are you alright?” Caleb gently asks, peering at him around a curtain of red hair. 

“I will be.” Molly anxiously giggles. “I wonder if it's too early to start drinking.”

“Maybe a little bit.” Caleb takes Molly’s hand and gives it a firm, grounding squeeze. “You should try and sleep more. You were up most of the night.”

He can use it, but the threat of another possible memory being dredged up makes the idea vastly unappealing. Molly presses himself closer to Caleb and closes his eyes. The images are still there. “I don't know what to do. About this.”

“I imagine that Fjord will get what we need from that woman and then we look for this Queen.” 

“I don't think that is a good idea, love. We should just leave. Whoever she is she’s far beyond us. I don't know much, but I'm pretty fucking confident in that regard.” 

“I do not disagree. If I had my way we would, but I do not think that we have much of a choice. This creature is either killing people or making them its pawns. The others will want to save this village from such a threat.” 

“I know. I want to save it, too, but I'm -and I know this is crazy but- I'm scared. She’ll kill us. She’ll kill you. And I can't let that happen.” Molly moves Frumpkin off his lap and sits up on his knees, pulling his hand away from Caleb so that he can cup his face. “You have to promise me that you’ll stay as far from her as you can, and, for the love of the Moonweaver, keep the Periapt on you.”

Caleb frowns at him again. “What if you die? Am I supposed to be okay with that?”

“No, but…” Molly swears and kisses Caleb on the mouth. He reluctantly pulls away when he has to breathe and leans his forehead on Caleb’s, hand still in place. “I don't bloody know how to deal with this,” he repeats, angry and hopeless.

Caleb awkwardly wraps his arms around Molly’s waist. “We will deal with it together as a group when we need to. For now we should just take a moment and let our friends handle things.”

He lets the advice rattle around for a moment, sinking into Caleb’s embrace.

“I’m going to get breakfast,” Molly announces after a brief silence and a sudden clap of his hands as he breaks the hug.

Caleb blinks at him, not unlike an owl. “Alright,” he says, drawing out the word, clearly confused by Molly’s abrupt change in mood.

“We get food and then spend the rest of today in this room. Just us. Doing all sorts of things. If you're up for it.” Molly is tired of wallowing, he’s tired of the well-meaning pity on Caleb’s face. Fuck this bullshit. “We will, as you so helpfully put it, let our friends deal with everything else. Fjord is better at talking than the two us combined. And if he can't get the info, Beau can just beat it out of them.”

Molly takes Caleb’s hand and leads him downstairs, hoping that he doesn't notice the tremble. 

* * *

As it so happens, Caleb does, and he observes Molly as they eat their breakfast while their companions are waiting for some sort of sign that something is amiss. The tension in Molly is obvious by the speed that he inhales his food and tells them of his plans with deliberate obfuscation.

“Have fun!” Jester enthusiastically tells them with a wave and a grin. “Don't forget to stretch first!”

“No worries, I won't.” Molly winks, ignoring everyone else's surprised expressions as it becomes clear what the relationship between he and Caleb has turned into. 

Honestly, it's a surprise to Caleb, too. He would have rathered this...whatever it was...to have stayed just between to of them.

He stands up and gives them a shrug, following Molly as they return to their room. He’s barely walked in and closed the door before Molly begins to strip out of his clothes.

For all the times now that Caleb has seen Molly naked at the various bathhouses that they've visited during their traveling, the context is very different now. He lets his eyes roam without any shame or at any attempt to disguise the hunger that's in them and appreciates every bit of him.

Molly has a dancer's build, thin but all taut muscle that flexes beneath his skin with every motion. The faint daylight casts shadows over the curve of them and glints off of the jewelry around his neck, on his fingers, attached to his horns, and pierced into him. He softly smiles in Caleb’s direction.

“Are you comfortable with this? I wouldn't want to push you into anything that you're not ready for,” Molly asks, his voice just as soft as his smile. The confidence that he always seems to carry is still there, but there's the faint hint of anxiety mingling within it that tells of his night.

Caleb barely gives the words time to settle in the air before marching over to him, turning him to push him against the door, and kissing him hard. He feels Molly tense and immediately relax against him, returning the kiss with much enthusiasm.

He traces his hands over the sides of Molly’s waist down to the small curve of his hips where he grips them, rubbing the indentations with with pads of his thumbs. Molly lifts a long leg to wrap it over his back, and pulls him closer with a low groan. They're close enough that Caleb can feel Molly’s arousal pinned against him through his tunic. He lets go of Molly’s hip to slip a hand between them and wrap his fingers around it, giving a short tug that has his hips clumsily bucking into it. 

When he repeats it, the reaction is the same.

Molly breaks off the kiss to stare wondrously at Caleb, face flushed dark against the lavender and swollen lips. “You were holding back on me this whole time, weren't you?” 

Caleb smirks with a bit of pride and squeezes him again, but just hard enough to tease. “What, did you think that you were the only lover that I have had?”

Molly grunts, their breaths mingling in such close proximity. “No, I just wasn't expecting...this...”

“Boldness?"

He laughs airily. “Yeah, that. I thought that I might have to take the lead on this.”

Caleb pauses. “Did you want to?”

“No, no, I'm perfectly happy to go with whatever you want. I'm flexible.” His smile flickers. “This may be the first and last time we get to do this, depending on how soon we have to hunt her down.”

With that sentence the mood turns solemn again, but not enough to end it. 

Molly leans his head back against the door, tilted at an angle to allow Caleb room to kiss at his neck. He sighs and parts his lips, his hands lightly resting on Caleb’s biceps and his leg still around his waist. His tail runs up between Caleb’s thighs and slips beneath his tunic. 

“You know, it's not really fair that I'm the only one that’s-” Molly’s sentence cuts off with a moan when Caleb nips at his skin. “That's naked here.”

“You do look better than I do in such a state,” jokes Caleb as he slides the hand still on Molly’s hip to the curve of his rear and pats it. 

“You're playing a dangerous game, Widogast,” Molly utters, now starting to grind against him, his breathing growing labored. “I'm not going to last much longer at this rate. That's a  _ compliment,  _ by the way.”

That's a fair point. Caleb wants to take his time with this, he wants to kiss and touch every inch of Molly’s skin and commit it to his memory. If this is indeed to be the only time they spend the night together, then he wants it to be a memorable one. The thought that either one of them could die taking on the Queen when the time comes.

“If that is the case, then we should move to the bed,  _ ja?” _

“Yes.” Molly lowers his leg to let Caleb step back and looks more than a little debauched with the bruises forming on his neck and his hardness against his stomach, leaving wetness where it touches. 

Caleb is still staring when he begins the task of removing his own clothes, watching the way Molly’s mouth is parted and his claws scrape against the door when he presses his hands to the wood for support. Caleb closes his eyes for a moment to make certain that he’ll never forget the image. When he opens them he sees that Molly has traveled to his bed and sprawled there with his legs open, inviting him in.

“ _ Scheiße.”  _ Caleb practically stumbles out of his trousers and smallclothes and joins Molly. He settles himself between his legs and smiles down at him. “Satisfied?”

“I will be.” Molly hooks both legs around Caleb this time and drags him down to his level to give him a deep kiss as his long and calloused fingers entwine around both them, stroking them together with languid motions. He sucks on Caleb’s lip and says against his mouth, “I need you, love.”

Caleb braces himself on one elbow and puts a hand over Molly’s, stopping him. “Patience.”

“If you insist.”

“I do.” 

Caleb sits up and untangles Molly’s legs. He takes one into hand and reverently presses his mouth to the calf, and then, with a delicious slowness that has Molly squirming, kisses his way downwards. He bites and sucks marks onto his inner thigh that will be there for days, hidden beneath his leggings for only Caleb to know. He does it to the other leg as well and pauses at the apex of his thighs before skipping over it to brush his lips over him from navel to chest, taking the time to lap at his nipples until they're as hard as other parts of him.

Molly claws at his back, leaving stinging scratches in their wake, repeating Caleb’s name over and over as he grows more needy. 

Finally, Caleb stops his teasing with one last kiss to Molly’s chest, feeling his heart pounding against the bone. “ _ Schätzchen,  _ have I made you wait long enough?” 

Caleb stands and goes for his coat, feeling Molly’s eyes still on him as he digs into a pocket and pulls out a vial that he had the foresight to purchase in Zadash for his own use. He’s glad he did. He would have regretted not having this.

“Molly?” he inquires, popping the stopper out. 

Molly wets his lips and says in a trembling breath, “I want you. All of you.”

There's not much to say to that.

“Okay.” Caleb has him lay on his stomach, knees beneath him, and kisses down Molly’s spine. When he brushes his fingers over the base of his tail Molly practically arches into his touch. He smiles, brushing it aside, and dallops a small amount of oil onto his fingers, rubbing them together to warm it. “Relax."

“If I were more relaxed I would melt.” 

Caleb starts with a single finger, listens to Molly’s vocal cues, then adds another, stretching him ever so carefully until satisfied. “There?”

Molly makes a sound that may be an affirmative, but it's muffled by the pillow his face is buried in to muffle his moans when Caleb’s fingers touch the bundle of nerves within. Apparently sensing that he’s being unclear, Molly lifts his head and hisses, “ _ Yes…!” _

Caleb removes his fingers and kisses the base of Molly’s spine. “Are you ready?” he asks one last time.

Molly moves unexpectedly fast as he sits up and playfully shoves Caleb onto his back. He straddles his hips and adjusts him with expertise. “Yes, I am.”

He lifts himself and slowly lowers onto Caleb, hands braced on either side of him. Caleb watches Molly’s face as he does, the way his mouth shapes into an O and his head tips back, eyes shut tight with pleasure as he fully seats himself. Caleb settles his hands on Molly’s slim waist and takes a steadying breath, encased in his warmth. 

Ever so experimentally, Molly rotates his hips. Caleb takes Molly’s hands and pushes up into him, refusing to close his eyes. The utter bliss of Molly’s expression and the elegant arching of his back is something that Caleb never wants to forget, this enchanting creature that has deemed him worthy. 

Molly sets a slow pace, despite his eagerness earlier, and keeps it that way. It's a struggle for them both, their sounds filling the air even as they try to keep quiet, but this is their moment. 

Caleb kisses his fingers, his name again coming from Molly’s mouth as he falls over the edge first. Caleb is soon to follow, Zemnian words spilling with him.

Molly bonelessly collapses next to him.

“I'm going to need a bath,” Molly mumbles against Caleb’s chest once he finds the strength to move the few inches, one leg draped over Caleb’s and tail lazily flicking back and forth behind him. “I'm sticky. Everywhere.”

“I can agree to a bath.” The room smells like sex. “Unfortunately, I doubt there is bathhouse in this town.”

“Ugh. I don't want to use a basin.” Molly shifts his head to look up at Caleb. “Thank-you for this. I wasn't kidding about spending the rest of the day in here, just so you're aware.”

“Thus a bath would have been pointless,” Caleb addresses with a shake of his head, “if all we are to do is fuck.”

Molly snorts and lazily strokes Caleb’s chest. “I do love when you curse. But you're right, and when you're up to it again I'm going to pay you back. I’ve been told that I have a talented mouth.”

Caleb chokes. “Oh.”

Molly’s words prove to be every inch the truth and the day goes by in a haze of naps and lovemaking, only leaving the bed for necessary food runs down to the tavern.

They both fall asleep sometime in the evening hours, sore and drained. 

Caleb’s not sure what time it is when he wakes again to find the spot next to him cold and Molly gone. He blinks the sleep from his eyes and sits up. “Molly?”

There’s no answer and when he crawls out of bed, Molly is nowhere to be seen. A terrible dread forms in his chest as he realizes too late that Molly’s chipper attitude had been nothing but a mask to hide his true intent. 

“Mollymauk, you fool…” Caleb murmurs, trying to ignore the hurt and the worry.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He’s not losing another family again, and if keeping them whole means going directly to the monster's den then so be it. Caleb can be angry so long as he's still breathing. Besides, Molly’s the one who went and slept with him only to then leave without saying goodbye in the middle of the night.
> 
> Caleb deserves to be furious with him. He deserves to hate him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Behold! An update!
> 
> In other news I turned twenty-nine yesterday.

Guilt eats away at him as he quickly and silently slips out of bed, casting Caleb one lingering last look, before he gets dressed, packs his things, and makes his exit from the room. The tavern is empty and silent as he moves through it like a thief in the night.

This has to be the worst decision that he's ever made, and he’s made some bad ones in his short two years as Mollymauk.

He considers going back to bed and forgetting this whole thing when he thinks of Caleb waking up alone in the morning. The feeling of guilt grows as Molly steps up to the bar, pouring himself a stiff drink and setting down a silver piece to pay for it.

Caleb’s never going to forgive him for this.

 _I'm doing this for him,_ Molly tells himself, downing the shot.   _I’m keeping him safe. I'm keeping them all safe._

He’s not losing another family again, and if keeping them whole means going directly to the monster's den then so be it. Caleb can be angry so long as he's still breathing. Besides, Molly’s the one who went and slept with him only to then leave without saying goodbye in the middle of the night.

Caleb deserves to be furious with him. He deserves to hate him.

Molly leaves the tavern and makes his way towards his true destination that is the stockade. Inside he finds the surviving bandit that he now knows to be a cultist of the Queen, one of her many willing followers. If he’s going to do what he's planning on doing, he’s going to need information, and that can really only come from one source.

“I need answers and you're going to give them to me,” he says in a cool voice, walking up to the cell holding the woman. He doesn't bother asking for a name. It doesn't matter. He’s not here for any sort of pleasantries.

The woman doesn't bother looking up at him from where she lies on the mat that makes up her bed, hands tucked beneath her head. “I knew you would. What is it that you want to know, Mollymauk Tealeaf?”

“Where do I find her?” He steps forward and grasps the bars with both hands so tightly his knuckles whiten. “I know that you know.”

“Of course, I do.” A grin stretches over a gaunt face as she finally turns her head to face him. “You can find her in the Pearlbow Wilderness.”

“Thanks,” Molly flatly says, turning around to leave. He has a long trip ahead of him.The Pearlbow Wilderness is no short journey away and he has sleep at some point.

He finds Loo in the stables and packs up the poor horse. He’s a lot healthier than he was when Nott had stolen him, but it's still going to be tough on the beast. Molly pats him affectionately on the neck when he snorts, as if sensing his owner’s agitation.

“I know, boy. I don't wanna leave, either.” Molly rests his head there on Loo’s neck for just a moment to steady his nerves and then swings himself nimbly onto his back. “We’ll be alright. I hope.”

This time he doesn't look back as he rides out of the stables and out of the village, heading northeast at a canter.

_Please, forgive me, Caleb. I'm sorry._

* * *

“Loo’s gone. Safe to say that Molly’s not in town anymore,” Fjord says with air of finality that sends a bolt right through Caleb’s chest. “Did he say anything that might indicate where he's going?”

“No, he did not.” Caleb stares at the empty space where Molly’s horse had been. Everything, the few belongings that Molly owned, are also gone. “I wish that he had…”

Fjord sighs and looks over at the others that have rejoined them. “Looks like we're gonna have to find him.”

“I don't see why,” Nott mutters, arms crossed. “If he wanted to leave, let him leave.”

Caleb looks down at his closest friend with a frown. “He could be in trouble, Nott. He would not just leave after insisting that he wanted this group to work. Not after we-”

Nott’s stubborn expression softens. “Fine. If Caleb wants to find him, then I'll help, too.”

“I agree,” Beau says. She hides her concern better than most of them, but it's as clear as day in her blue eyes. “Did anyone in town see him slip out?”

“No, everyone was asleep when he left.”

“What about that one person?” Jester voice breaks in. Apart from maybe Caleb, she's the most affected by Molly’s disappearance, the two of them having formed a sibling bond during their travels. “That bandit woman. She might know.”

“That's a good thought, Jester,” Fjord replies with a smile, placing a hand on her arm. “We should have considered that sooner.”

They should have, Caleb agrees. “I think that is a good idea as well.”

As they move towards the stockade, Nott takes Caleb’s hand into her smaller one. “You're sure that you want to go find Molly? I don't want you to get hurt if he’s thrown himself into something dangerous.”

“I am. If he has then I need to find him first.”

Nott gives him a knowing look. “You love him, don't you?”

Caleb pauses. “I do not know.”

“Hm. I think if you do, I'll support it. I just want you happy. Although, if he hurts you, I'll shoot a bolt in him.” Nott grasps the handle of her crossbow to prove her point.

“I do not think that he would expect anything less.” Caleb smiles down at her even as he worries, worries about what Molly has gotten himself into.  

* * *

It takes the rest of the night and well into the morning hours to reach the Pearlbow Wilderness. He’s exhausted, sore, and starving when he does, having had only enough dried rations for two small meals that were hardly substantial. It does nothing to improve his bad mood as he scowls into the shadows, looking for any sign of movement.

Almost as soon as he comes to pass the tree line several figures come out of the morning fog, bows drawn and pointed at his chest and head. As far as he can tell, they're all breathing, humanoid, and vaguely threatening with their threadbare clothing and gaunt faces. None of them appear as the woman did in his dream-memory, and this comes as both a relief and worry.

“I come all this way and this is what your Queen sends as a welcoming party? I'm offended.” Molly doesn't bother to keep the sarcasm out of his voice as he glowers at the motley lot of them. Beneath him, Loo shifts nervously at the tension in the air.

“Come with us, Mollymauk Tealeaf,” a young half-elven male says, walking forward, bow still drawn. “She awaits you.”

“Yeah, I thought she might.” Molly hops down off the poor horse and hands the reins over to another individual. “Don't eat Loo.”

Molly follows the half-elf deeper into the forest, stepping around fallen trees and draping vines, and grows more nervous as he goes. It feels...familiar in uncomfortable way, a nagging feeling that tells him that if he goes any further there will be no turning back.. It makes him want to follow that warning feeling and run back to Loo and back to Caleb.

He forces himself forward.

They walk until they find the center, or what passes as the center, and Molly finds himself staring up at a small mountain and a cave entrance. that reflects the same one in his mind. He doesn't need his guide to tell him that this is where he’ll find her.

“In here.”

Molly stiffly nods and follows him inside.

They walk down a narrow, rocky passage that forces Molly to follow behind the half-elf. His fingers curl and uncurl around the hilts of his scimitars and his eyes dart from his guide’s back to the hallway, expecting an attack at any moment. There's no other source of light outside of the sunlight coming through the cave entrance and it's only his dark vision that keeps him from stumbling into something.

It's both terrible and wonderful when they finally enter into a large cavern in what must be the center of the mountain, their footsteps echoing off the walls and disappearing up in the ceiling. The floor is covered in various animal pelts and worn furniture, including numerous shelves covered in enough old tomes to thrill even Caleb.

In the middle of the room is a brazier and standing next to it the Queen, staring into the crackling flames that cast heavy shadows over a stunningly beautiful face. She’s taller than he is by a good several inches, lithe in build, and thick red curls still fall down past her narrow hips as he remembers, but the crown of spikes is absent from the top of her head.

She looks up and smiles at his appearance, showing off sharp white teeth. “It is good to see you again, Lucian. Although, you go by Mollymauk these days, yes? Names are so difficult to keep track of.”

Molly stares openly as a slew of lost memories come flashing back.

* * *

They pack their belongings in a frenzy, throwing everything into their bags and onto the cart as quickly as they can. The morning is getting late and it's a long trip to the Pearlbow Wilderness.

Their prisoner had been surprisingly open with her information, laughing at their faces as she handed it over at Fjord’s request. It leaves a sour feeling in the pit of Caleb’s stomach as he can't help but wonder what it is that she knows but isn't telling them.

What they do know is that Molly has gone to the Queen.

“Why would he do something so fuckin’ stupid?” Beau asks as they begin their trek. “We’re better as a group, especially against whatever this thing is.”

“A vampire,” Caleb corrects, anxiously petting Frumpkin. “And I believe he left to keep us out of danger.” _To protect me._

“Whatever. It's a nice sentiment, but she'll probably just kill him then come after us.” At Caleb’s wince, Beau hastily adds, “Sorry. I know you two are a thing.”

“Were we that obvious?” asks Caleb, ignoring Beau’s good point.

“Yeah, sorta. You stick to his side like a rash.” Beau makes a face. “Also, Molly isn't really all that quiet during sex. Probably could have gone without knowing that.”

Caleb chokes and quickly looks away. “Sorry.”

“Hey and, Caleb?”

“ _Ja?”_

“For the record, I like Molly. He’s an asshole, but he’s a good guy. I hope everything works out and you two can continue to be a thing.” Beau forces her mouth into an awkward smile and roughly pats him on the back.

“Thank-you, Beauregard. I hope so, too.”

* * *

Molly stumbles away from the vampire woman, a migraine blooming behind his skull. It's too much all at once, all these memories, and he doesn't like what he sees in them.

“Your little group is adorable,” the Queen says, looking back into the flames. “You certainly choose fascinating people to associate with, Lucian.”

“Stop saying that name,” Molly growls, hands going for his weapons. “I'm not him.”

He doesn't get the chance to pull the scimitars out as the half-elf draws his own weapon and points an arrow at his skull. Molly glares and drops his hands. He’s not going to be able to move quick enough to draw them before becoming a pincushion. Instead, he tries a different route.

The eye etched into his skin, hidden within the peacock feathers on his neck, bursts with blood as he wills a curse into the half-elf’s skull.

It only just connects and distracts him enough for Molly to rush towards the Queen, drawing swords as he goes. He’s only a few feet away when she looks up to meet his eyes and suddenly finds that his body has stopped responding to his brain.

“Enough. You've made your point,” she says and, with a gesture of her hand, Molly stops in his tracks.  She walks towards him with the swishing of long black skirts. “You may physically bear resemblance to Lucian, but as you pointed out, you're no longer that person.”

Molly wants to flinch when she sighs and reaches out to cup his cheek. Her hand is deathly cold against his warm skin. “That spell was meant to extend your life, my darling boy, not end it. Magic is tricky and not everyone has the talent for it. One mistake and the whole spell can go askew.”

Molly screams in his head and tries to fight off the charm that has his body chained to her will.

“Although, it appears to have rid you of that illness at least.” The Queen gently strokes his face as red eyes gaze at him with a strange softness. “Even if it has fractured your identity and robbed you of your memory. I wish I could have been there and performed that spell myself rather than send a cleric to do it. Maybe that could have prevented all of this.”

Her hand touches his forehead and the migraine goes away, but the memories remain. “Come with me, we need to prepare for your friends’ arrival. If they're smart, they'll be of use to us.”

Molly follows her without a choice, unable to voice a response to her cryptic words.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there should be only one chapter left to go. I'll try to get it out sooner than this one.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, folks, this is it, the last chapter! Thank-you to every single person who's commented on this, even those who just did so on a single chapter. Every one if them mean the world to me ♥
> 
> I'm planning on writing another multi-chapter here soon, in the future, but first I need a break and get one or two one-shots out of my system.

It’s late into the evening by the time Caleb and the others finally reach the outskirts of the Pearlbow Wilderness. He fears the worst, especially when armed figures begin to emerge from the trees. He turns to glance at his friends and sees the same sort of apprehension that reflects his own. Next to him, Nott takes his hand and squeezes it in solidarity while the other hand grips her crossbow at the ready.

He can hear Jester, Beau, and Fjord draw their weapons as he stares forward at the various individuals that come forward to meet them. 

One in particular approaches them is a woman with a tangled mess of blond hair and a scarred face. She eyes them suspiciously, but isn’t visibly surprised to see them here, which is somehow worse than Caleb had expected and more than anything tells him that Molly has already arrived. 

“You’re the Mighty Nein, yes?” she asks, resting a short sword against one shoulder. “One of you will come willingly to meet with our Queen. Threaten any one of us and you will meet consequences.”

Fjord is the first to speak, water dripping off the barnacles attached to the falchion at his side. “All we want is our friend back, that’s it, and we’ll be on our way. We don’t want any unnecessary violence.”

That’s not entirely the truth. On their way here they had discussed a plan of action after retrieving Molly.

Whoever these people and their Queen are, they’re a threat, nevermind the Queen’s undead nature. Caleb, well, he’d be perfectly happy getting Molly and never coming back here again even if he knows that the issue needs to be dealt with. Unfortunately for him he’s overruled by the needs of the party. More than that he knows that getting Molly out without bloodshed is an impossibility at this point. 

The blond woman smirks. “You’ll have to speak to the Queen about that. Now, which one of you will represent your group?”

Before Fjord can volunteer, Caleb swings himself off his horse. “I will.”

“Caleb, don’t!” Nott tries to clamor down off the horse that they’d been sharing. “You’ll get hurt!”

Caleb smiles nervously and pats her arm. “I will be alright, my friend. I should be the one that goes to Molly. I do love him, after all.”

“Very well, come with me,” the blond says, cutting off anyone else who tries protest Caleb’s decision. 

Caleb, despite not being a remotely religious man, sends a silent prayer to the Moonweaver on Molly’s behalf and for his own sake and follows, leaving the safety of his friends behind him with the rest of the armed guardians.

* * *

The memories still fill Molly’s head, memories of a man two years dead who died before terminal illness could take him and a beautiful undead woman bound to this mountain but still able to gather loyal followers from all over the Empire and beyond. While the images aren’t entirely clear, Molly gathers enough information from them to know that Lucian had been one of these followers and more than a little in love with the Queen, or rather Iliya as her true name was.

It’s deeply unsettling. 

“What do you want with me?” Molly asks as she leads him down another hall to a smaller chamber. 

“I want many things. I want the Empire gone, I want my freedom from this place, but more than anything I want Lucian to return to me.” She smiles at him and touches his hand. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you these last two years once it became apparent that you were alive again, and during that time I have been planning.”

“Planning what?” he asks, a shiver running through him at the airiness of her voice and the way her eyes look at him as if the Gods themselves have granted her a boon.  

“A way to achieve all of these things, my love.” Iliya lashes her hand out and grips him firmly by the chin. “By blood magic all things can be done and undone.”

Molly recognizes those words and he forces his chin free from her grasp. “What if I refuse? Are you going to kill me?” 

Iliya laughs and folds her arms into the long bell sleeves of her gown. “Of course not. That would defeat the purpose. I need you alive for these things to work. Even to change you to one of my own kin would make it impossible.” She nods. The half-elf grabs him by the arm as her charm on Molly fades. “I am, however, not above force, and if I’m not mistaken, your friend will be joining us.”

“No.”

* * *

“Where are we going?” Caleb asks warily, nervously fingering his large component diamond as he’s lead to Gods know where. He can barely see in the darkness, his site limited to his guide’s back.

There is no response to his question and he’s left with only the sounds of their feet on stone and his anxious thoughts. He doesn’t want to think about what condition he may find Molly in and he regrets not convincing these people to allow the rest of his companions to come with. He’s terribly out of his depth with this whole thing.

Caleb isn’t the most knowledgeable of people when it comes to vampires and undead in general, but the little he has come across in his various books is that vampires are cunning and literally bloodthirsty creatures who corrupt the very land and people around them. It’s strange that he never heard about a vampire, especially one as powerful as Molly made this one out to be, this close to civilization without hunters attempting to kill it. Is that how Molly had dealt with her before? He had seemed to think so.

Caleb is lead to a large, furnished room (his eyes linger on the many books and makes a mental note to look through them should he survive this) and then down another hall to a smaller one. This one is brighter lit by various torches and as his vision adjusts, relief floods through him when his gaze finds Molly’s crimson eyes.

“Mollymauk, you’re alive.” He can’t keep the joy out of his voice even as he’s shoved roughly to his knees in front of a tall, red headed woman in black. “Are you hurt?”

“You shouldn’t have come here, Caleb,” he replies so softly that Caleb can barely hear him. 

“Ja, I can agree with that, but I came here anyway.” Caleb turns his attention to the woman. “I assume that this is the Queen?”

Molly stiffly nods. “Yes, this is her.”

“I know a fair bit about you, Caleb Widogast of the Zemni Fields.” The Queen’s voice is low and as dark as midnight. “What a tragedy your life is. Born to poor farmers, joining the the Academy, and trained to be a warmage, only to break and be tossed aside. What a waste of your talent.”

“Please, just leave him alone.” Molly steps between the Queen and Caleb, head lowered, shoulders slouched only for him to be grabbed by a follower and pulled aside once more. “Please.”

“I’m sorry, Lucian, but sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.” The Queen nods and Caleb is lifted to his feet, the diamond yanked from his hands, and shoved forward towards her. Her hand strikes out like a snake and tilts his head.

“Iliya, don’t do this. There are other ways. You said yourself that Caleb is talented. Let him find a way to break the binding.” Molly makes no further attempts at moving, body trembling.

Caleb winces in pain as his hair is pulled and frantically tries to come up with a plan. He still has his glove on and this close firebolt is sure to do a fair bit of damage even to a vampire. He can do this, he can do this…

He closes his eyes and shoves his hand against the center of her chest. With a quick, circling motion with the other before she can react, Caleb sends three firebolts against her skin. The moment the flames begin to burn her, Iliya releases him with a blood curdling screech and backs away from him, her hands clutching at her sizzling flesh. Caleb uses the moment of distraction to go towards Molly as Iliya’s cultists help put out the flames. He takes his hand.

“Molly, we need to go,” he shouts over the commotion. 

“I can’t.” Molly holds Caleb’s hand painfully tightly. “If I go she’ll find a way to come after me again. I can’t keep putting you in danger.”

“I am already in danger. I would never be able to live with myself if you died.” 

Molly shakes his head and pulls Caleb close. “Please, go. Your spell will only keep her occupied for so long. You and the others need to get far away from here as quick as you can.”

“What if I break whatever this spell is? You told her that I could do it.” 

“She plans on using your blood to do it. I was trying to buy you time, Caleb.” Molly lets go and presses a quick kiss to his mouth. 

Their lips only just touch and a pair of arms restrain Molly. Iliya’s burned and furious face appears as she grabs Caleb as she hauls him back by the hair and snarls, fangs inches from his face. 

Pain shoots through him, followed by the sensation of his blood leaving his body when Iliya buries them into the side of his neck. Caleb tries to shove her away, but his limbs feel leaden and the world is fading at the edges of his vision. He hears Molly shouting and fighting against the hold on him. 

If this is how he goes, Caleb thinks as unconsciousness claims him, he’s glad that he at least got to meet and love Mollymauk Tealeaf in his lifetime.

He goes limp.

* * *

Molly stares at Caleb’s unmoving body as Iliya drops him to the floor. He can feel the tears on his face, but there’s nothing but pure rage running through his veins. Something deep within him awakens, possibly some remnants of Lucian that he shoved down.

He uses his anger and grief to fuel himself. He kickshard on the half-elf’s knees, elbows him in the stomach when lets go. Molly draws his scimitars and ignites them.

When the half-elf goes to grab him again, Molly stabs him through the chest and kicks him away before turning his attention to the blond woman that brought Caleb into this. He darts forward, ducks under her sword swing, and cuts the tendon at the back of her ankle. It’s enough to bring her down. 

“I know that I can’t kill you with these,” Molly growls at Iliya, her two followers taken care of for the moment.  “But if I have to cut you down into pieces and toss them into the sun, I’ll do it.”

Iliya raises an eyebrow and steps over Caleb’s still form. “You’re quite welcomed to try to do so, Lucian.”

Molly twirls his swords and enters a defensive stance. “I’m not  _ him.” _

* * *

“How do you think Caleb and Molly are doing?” Jester yells over the sounds of fighting, her lollipop walloping down a line of cultish humanoids while Fjord’s Eldritch Blasts burn holes into sternums.

“They’ll be fine,” Beau replies as she punches a man in the throat, then uppercuts him in the jaw, sending him stumbling back. Another man near her collapses when a bolt goes through his eye. “Thanks, Nott.”

Nott grimly smiles and ducks back behind a tree for cover. 

“I hope so.” Fjord shouts back, casting two more Blasts towards a cluster. They’ve got to have taken down most of them. He’s running on fumes, they all are. “We need to find them soon. I don’t think they can take down a vampire on their own.”

* * *

Molly winces when Iliya’s claws cut lines down his chest, drawing blood. He calls upon a curse to temporarily blind her as he ducks down and slides across the stone floor on his knees to Caleb. He checks his pulse and is relieved to find one, even if it’s sluggish beneath his fingertips. Molly digs into his coat pocket and pulls out the only health potion he has, wishing that it was a Superior. Either way, it’ll stabilize Caleb and that’s enough for him.

He uncorks it, tips Caleb’s head back, and dumps the red liquid down his throat. “Come on, love, drink up. You need this more than I do.”

The hair raises on the back of his neck in warning seconds before ice encases his back and Iliya’s hands wrap around his throat. She hauls him up and turns him to face her. 

“I hadn’t wanted to hurt you,” she sighs and squeezes his throat, cutting off his air flow. 

Molly gasps for air and claws at her hands. 

“It’s unfortunate that it has gotten to this point.” Iliya releases her grasp on his throat and grabs the hair at the back of his head, pulling his head to the side much like she had Caleb. “I hadn’t wanted to do this.”

Molly spits and snarls insults in Infernal at her even as she bites him. She’s barely taken any blood before five fireballs smack into her side. Iliya pulls away, startled, and Molly uses the moment to crouch and grab his weapons. He hacks into her as she burns, buying Caleb time to stagger to his feet. 

Iliya screams and thrashes, smacking Molly on the side of his face and sending him flying back. Caleb sways where he stands and casts more firebolts at her chest.

* * *

They’re all worse for wear once all the vampire’s followers are either dead or unconscious on the forest floor. They’re completely tapped by this point, especially when it comes to Jester’s healing spells and potions. There’s no time to stop and rest, though.

“Come on, you guys, we need to go help Caleb and Molly,” Jester says, wiping her brow and smearing blood across it to mix with the sweat. 

“Ugh, everything hurts. I think my bruises have bruises,” Beau grumbles. She stretches and pops her back. “I wish Yasha was here. She would have been really useful for that fight.”

“Agreed,” replies Fjord as he goes through the pockets of a few fallen enemies and thankfully finds a lesser potion along with a small amount of gold.  “Let’s get going.”

* * *

Every inch of Caleb is throbbing from magical overuse, pushing himself long past his limit, but he refuses to give up now. Knowing this, Molly sticks near him as they fight, keeping Iliya at bay and away from Caleb.

There’s no way that they’re going to be able to beat her on their own. She’s taken damage, but her wounds are already healing. If they could just get her weakened enough to go into mist form they would have a chance. That is a slim chance with both himself and Molly close to falling. She knows this and is deliberately playing with them, pushing them to the breaking point.

Molly protectively circles Caleb, keeping his back against his but constantly looking over his shoulder just in case. “How are you holding up?” he asks, breathing hard through split lips. 

“I am alright. The others should be here soon…” He hopes so. They’re all skilled fighters and Jester is with them. If anyone could get through the crowd outside, it’s them. “Do not get distracted, Mollymauk.”

Molly spits out a string of bloodied saliva and laughs, the sound bordering on mania. “Just keep your own eyes open, love.”

He swings at Iliya when she suddenly appears in front of him and swipes another series of scratches across his skin. He hisses and uses his off-handed scimitar to strike at her. It hits her arm and she disappears again.

* * *

They practically run into the mountain and down the hallway to the large room. Beau and Jester sticking to the front, Fjord following them, and Nott behind him. There’s a surprising lack of people inside and it takes them longer than Fjord would like for them to find another hallways hidden behind a tapestry.

“They have to be somewhere down here."

* * *

 

Molly cries out as Iliya kicks him in the ribs and he feels two of them crack from the impact, sending sharp pain through his side. Caleb picks up his diamond and sends ice at her in retaliation, expression determined. 

Iliya holds a hand out and his body stops as Hold Person takes effect. She sends a glowering look towards Molly and stalks towards him. “Your wizard has been a thorn in my side since his arrival. I should rip his throat out and save myself the future trouble.”

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Fjord’s voice rings out from the doorway, and Caleb has never been more relieved than in that moment. “I would recommend releasing Caleb from that spell.” 

“Or what? I can tell all of you are weakened,” says Iliya with a curl of her lip. “I suppose that I should have had you all killed when I had the chance.”

“Yeah, probably,” Beau shrugs. 

“Do what Fjord said and let Caleb go.” Nott points her loaded crossbow at Iliya’s chest. 

Iliya makes a fist and the spell drops from Caleb. 

He smiles in relief at Nott. “You all have good timing.”

“Could have been better,” Molly adds, one hand pressed against his cracked ribs while blood from the various spells and cuts on his skin stain his shirt. 

“Sorry, we had our hands full.” Fjord summons his falchion in a spray of sea water and points it at Iliya. “Now, we managed to have a conversation with one of your cronies and we know that you can’t leave this place, so what you are going to do is let us go without a fuss.”

“Iliya, do what he asks. Don’t be stupid.” Molly limps over to her. “None of this is worth bringing Lucian back. He’s gone for a reason and I’m happy for it.”

Iliya stares at him hopelessly. “I loved him. He promised that he’d free me from this prison.”

Molly shakes his head. “He didn’t love you. You were only a threat to be removed. H never had any intention on letting you out. You’re too dangerous.”

Whatever anger that still clung to her fades and Iliya’s shoulders droop forward. “Very well. Leave before I change my mind.”

Molly goes to Caleb and takes his hand. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

* * *

 

“I’m surprised that you could change her mind that easily,” Fjord comments when they’re out of the mountain. 

Molly chuckles and winces. “Yeah, that makes two of us. Is it weird that I feel bad for her even after all of this?” He gestures to his and Caleb’s rough appearance. 

“Did you tell her the truth?” asks Caleb, gently helping Molly sit on a fallen tree so that Jester can wrap his ribs. It’s not going to be a pleasant ride back to the village for him. “I assume that Lucian is what your name was?”

“It was. And as for whether or not it’s the truth….well, neither one of us really know if it is.” Molly bites his cheek as his coat is slipped from his shoulders, followed by his shirt. “It’s probably for the best that we get someone to come and deal with...this.”

No one in the party was strong enough to deal with a vampire, not after all of this. 

“Probably a good idea. We don’t want her to change her mind and send people after you again,” Fjord agrees. 

Jester pulls out a medkit and begins to tightly wrap bandages around Molly’s ribs. “Sorry, Molly. I will be able to fix them tomorrow, I promise.”

He gives her a reassuring smile. “It’s fine. I’ll live until then. Although sleeping is going to be a bit difficult.” 

Caleb sits beside him on the log and takes the moment to just breathe. He’s exhausted and sore, but so are they all. He’s thankful that they’re alive, especially Molly. He slips his hand back into his, regardless of those around them. 

“Are you okay, Mollymauk?” he asks once Jester has finished and Molly is redressed. 

“I should be asking you that. You’re the one that nearly died.” Molly looks at their entwined fingers. “It’s my fault. If I had just  _ waited,  _ none of this would have happened. I spent these last two years trying to ignore whoever I was before only for it to come back and literally bite me. I left thinking that if I confronted Iliya on my own you’d be spared from her.”

“You were reckless.” 

“I thought for sure that you’d hate me for leaving you.”

“I could never hate you.  I will admit that I was hurt that you did think to tell me your plans, but I do not hate you.” Caleb presses a chaste kiss to Molly’s cheek. “More than anything, I was scared. I thought that you might die out here.”

“Iliya wouldn’t have killed me. She was more interested in bringing back the person who used to be me.” 

“I for one like you the way you are, the color and recklessness included.” 

Molly blushes and smiles softly. “So you don’t regret whatever it is we have?”

“ _ Nein _ . Not one bit.” 

“Me neither.”

Neither one hardly notices that their companions haved moved away to give them privacy.  

Dreams are funny things. 


End file.
